Memories of the Blood
by Navatalin
Summary: The Story of an Ancient Vampire
1. Prelude

Memories of the Blood  
  
Rating R for Violence, Supernatural themes, Sexual content and Language.  
  
Disclaimer: Ok I don't own the following role-playing games that I am basing this story on:  
  
Vampire: The Masquerade.  
  
Wraith: The Oblivion.  
  
Mage: The Ascension.  
  
Werewolf: The Apocalypse.  
  
Hunter: The Reckoning.  
  
And the World of Darkness in General.  
  
Prelude: Visions of Blood  
  
Althrus sat in his throne room awaiting the masses of Caitiff and Sabbat forces to rush in and end his existence. While waiting his mind drifted back to the days before his embrace, to when he was once a mortal, had mortal ideals, mortal ambitions and most of all had a mortal life. As the centuries upon centuries had taken weight upon his undead mind, he had started to wonder what he had done to deserve this. To be prince of a Camirilla city that was now being overrun by the Sabbat and Caitiff.  
  
Had it been that he had no respect for humanity? Or was it that he was hated by the Caitiff because of his association with a great massacre of their kind? Or was it because the Camirilla had finally found out where his power had come from and who his sire truly was.  
  
Ah, all these could be reasons, but as his unlife had shown him by experience nothing was that simple. His embrace had taught him that.  
  
Althrus's embrace happened a little over 2 thousand years ago, when he was singled out from his village by a scholar named Geoffrey. Geoffrey had picked up on Althrus's skill with a sword, and the way that he was able to deal with other people. He seemed to be able to sense what people's true motives and then ask the right questions to find out what he wanted. Geoffrey was a member of the Clan Brujah who at that time were seen as the scholars and learned kindred, but these scholars were still in need of a group to protect them if need be, and Althrus was chosen to be one of them.  
  
On a rainy night during the year 3 AD Geoffrey embraced Althrus. It was a messy ordeal as Althrus fought back against Geoffrey. He had nearly got away several times, but in the end it was Geoffrey with his unnatural strength that won through. After all of Althrus's blood was drained, Geoffrey had fed Althrus some of his own blood to awaken him. "I'd better find this one some prey" Geoffrey had mused unaware that Althrus had already beginning to wake.  
  
After Geoffrey had left to find some prey Althrus woke, with his beast in control. Althrus had rushed outside in order to find blood to quell his beast. After some time he had come across a tavern, the small little wooden building had seen better days. Its sign hung by one rope and the building its self tilted to one side. Althrus had rushed at the door and broke it down without even blinking an eye. Unfortunately this tavern was not just a gathering place for the mortals, but also the hunters.  
  
An Alarm had gone off and brought Althrus's mind back to the present. Looking over to the computer Althrus saw that the Caitiff and Sabbat forces had already penetrated the outer parts of the complex.  
  
"Damn I hadn't expected them to get he so quickly!" Althrus cursed as he went over to the computer and activated the defense systems, As several automated gun turrets started firing into the first waves of the enemy. The blood and the gore that rained down after the first wave of vampires that rushed his defenses, reminded him of what happened in the tavern. Where the he had his first taste of sweet mortal blood.  
  
Althrus had rushed into the main room of the tavern, the building on the inside looked no better than on the outside. The walls were covered in dried blood and stains from many a spilt drink. The men in the room were no better, many had long beards and were covered in filth. The smell of blood overwhelmed him, and he lunged at the closest mortal, it was a drunken man who had staggering to get out of the door when Althrus came rushing in.  
  
Grabbing the man Althrus's fangs instinctively came out as he bit the man's neck and started drawing blood. Since Althrus was so young he did not know of how to feed efficiently, so much of the blood flowed down the man's neck onto the floor. At seeing this, two of the men in the room stood up and drew their swords, both men were clad in leather armor and both had crucifixes hanging from their necks.  
  
As they approached Althrus, the larger man tried to drag Althrus from his prey, enraged at this Althrus struck out at the man and with superhuman strength knocked him across the room. Then the man's companion decided that the only way now to stop the fighting was to kill Althrus.  
  
With a well-aimed swing of his sword he aimed from Althrus's neck trying to decapitate him. Althrus saw the sword coming then moving with supernatural speed he dodged it, it sailed passed his head and took the back of the drunken man's head off, leaving a spray of blood and brain matter oozing over the floor and walls.  
  
Seeing his prey killed Althrus went into a blind rage and grabbed the swordsman's arm and snapped it off. Screaming in pain the man tried to run from Althrus who was now lunging at his neck, but was unable to avoid the frenzying Vampire. Luckily before Althrus could sink his teeth in, the man that had been knocked across the room had gotten up, sneaked behind Althrus and had swung his sword with all his strength at Althrus. As the sword swung it connected with Althrus's back and sliced open a deep wound from which blood started to pour out.  
  
With the searing pain of the sword in his back Althrus dropped the now one armed man and turned to face the other. Before he could strike the sword flashed again, this time slicing the flesh in Althrus's chest. Screaming in pain and frustration, Althrus charged the man and used his strength to sink his fingers into the man's head. With a eardrum-piercing scream the man's head collapsed under Althrus's strength. Blood and brain splattered all over the room, the majority of it spraying onto Althrus.  
  
Now filled with blood Althrus left the tavern in search of the man that had given him this power, then man that had made him what his was. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Tides of Blood  
  
Outside the compound the masses of Caitiff and Sabbat forces massed and wave after wave of their forces throw themselves at the defenses, the automated guns cutting them down before they can reach the doors.  
  
"Damn it where are those City Gangrel?" bellowed the commander of the Sabbat forces named Ceroth.  
  
"I don't know milord" answered one of his lieutenants.  
  
"Damn it we're getting torn up by those guns!"  
  
Inside the compound Althrus sat at the defense console and continued to remiss about his life.  
  
After the blood bath at the tavern Althrus had started his search for his sire. Luckily Geoffrey was also looking for him, they met at an intersection of the roads leading into the town.  
  
"Althrus!" Geoffrey called as they passed each other. Althrus looked around and glared at Geoffrey.  
  
"Ah I have found you, now you will tell me what you have done to me" Althrus growled, as his beast demanded he feed again even thought he was full.  
  
"Just calm yourself Althrus and listen closely, you are now part of the great Kindred society, a Kindred, and childe of Cain, a Vampire."  
  
At this moment Althrus was stunned into silence as he awaited what Geoffrey had to say next.  
  
"I think this is not the place to be talking about these things." Geoffrey concluded as the sounds of a large group of armed men could be heard up the road, "it looks like you've already made a reputation among the mortals, but don't worry they forget soon enough, but for the moment we should flee, as we do not wish more death tonight." With that Geoffrey grabbed Althrus and with startling ease held him in the air and started running faster than Althrus could have ever imagined.  
  
Back in reality it seemed that the City Gangrel had arrived, as a group of men wearing black riot armor, with weapons hanging off their combat belts, the biggest of the men stepped forwards and bowed his head towards Ceroth.  
  
"I apologize for our lateness milord, but it was unavoidable,"  
  
"For your sake I hope it was." answered Ceroth in a low growl, "Now get in there and disable that gun system now!" With that all the Gangrel disappeared, within about sixty seconds a large explosion erupted from inside the base.  
  
In the control room more alarms started blaring as the automated gun turrets reported that they had no power.  
  
"Shit! I knew I should have put some anti-obfuscate systems in." Althrus fumed as he flicked a switch that lowered the blast doors and filled each section with water. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 : Screams of the Beast  
  
Back in the old days obfuscate was ever so more deadly, a Nosferatu or Malkavian could just appear right in front of you and were pretty much screwed unless you saw them coming first, that's one of the things that I have always envied about the Toreador's and Tremre, no matter how hard you tried its almost impossible to surprise on of the bastards, but still the Tore's weren't so bad, ah the memories of that fateful night were I met the most beautiful kindred I have ever seen.  
  
It had been one of those hot summer nights, well as hot as it could be in England, but still the night air was pleasant on the undead skin and the senses soared with almost living passion, walking into the Tavern named the "Kindred Spirit" I heard a voice that has never had an equal in this world, she was tall and thin with flowing blonde hair down the small of her back, her arms were long and thin with delicate fingers twirling around as she added different inflections into her voice to make it sound just that little more entrancing , her eyes were gleaming with the candle light that hit them, at one stage they seemed to be green the next they were blue, adding to the entrancing image, but it was the clothes that stunned him the most, it was a simple white dress that revealed very little but left nothing up to the imagination.  
  
Sitting in the corner Althrus hid himself from her eyes but even once he had entered the shadows her eyes never left him, at this time he remembered what Geoffrey had warned him as he left the haven, be ware of the Toreador they have eyes that can penetrate steel, flesh and the soul, they can tell if your lying and can even read you thoughts, think this to be a paranoid delusion of Geoffrey's Althrus ignored it and went on his way.  
  
The night progressed on the mortals had all left or had been feed apon and were laying out the back of the tavern awaiting the sun to wake them, but in the tavern Althrus sat in the corner and watched the lady dance and sing, as the night was nearing the end a voice in Althrus's head had told him that he should follow the lady back to her haven, he did not know why this voice was in his head, but after feeding off a few drunken men he didn't argue about it.  
  
Following the lady back they traveled to an underground hall, into the back rooms and further down a tunnel that lead to her haven, as if she knew he was there she left all the doors open, apon reaching the final room she spun around with such speed that he had only seen Geoffrey use once and closed the door behind him and try to push him onto the bed, if it were not for his strength he may have ended up face first into the closest wall, but even thought she had hit him with such speed his undead muscles refused to yield.  
  
"What do you want" demanded Althrus as he snapped back to reality and saw that he was trapped, "isn't it obvious, I want you don't I silly" the lady answered in a very seductive voice, feeling her aura start to shine more brightly Althrus resisted with his own aura as he had been taught by Geoffrey, with that her aura faded away. "Damn I'm going to have to do this the other way" she muttered under her breath, "Before we start I guess I should tell you my name, I am known as Constance Pensance, I am of clan Toreador, and before you even start I already know your name Althrus of clan Brujah", shocked into silence at this Althrus stood still and with a little push by Constance Althrus fell easily onto the bed.  
  
With a fluid motion Constance started to dance humming music and soothed Althrus's ears, he started to rise when in one movement she had dropped the dress she was wearing onto the floor to reveal that she was wearing nothing underneath, moving slowly towards Althrus she started to undress him, her hands felt warm on his undead skin, even as if blood pumped thought their veins.  
  
Once she had taken off his shirt she pushed him back onto the bed and pressing herself onto him, he felt the warmness of her breasts pressing against his skin, with out thinking Althrus had begun to start some of his body's reaction to this, by using the powers in his blood to let certain muscles work without his attention.  
  
At this Constance jumped a little as she felt a large hard object start to press against her, taking the opportunity to get her off balance Althrus gently moved her underneath him and started to remove the rest of his clothes, as the Constance seemed to be getting excited and had started the body's normal reactions to the situation, with this quite noticeable Althrus began to believe that Constance was human even though she seamed to have some of the gifts of Cain.  
  
With a sudden jolt he felt pressure applied between his legs, as he looked down he saw that Constance had grabbed him and was leading him into herself, allowing this to happen he suddenly felt himself slip inside her and the warmth of her surprised her, so did her reaction, she start to moan, as if what she was experiencing was mortal feelings, at this the heart beat from her chest started to echo in his ears, increasing the speed of his thrusts Constance started to thrash around lost into what could only to called an animal passion.  
  
Althrus's beast started to scream for blood as the beating of her heart had quickened and he could even hear the blood pulsing though her veins. Without hesitation Althrus sunk his teeth into Constance's flesh and drew the sweet blood from her veins not knowing of the consequences of his actions. 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Blood that Binds 

That night Althrus did something that would change his life completely, even more so then being embraced. Just after Althrus had bitten Constance, and drained her blood, he noticed that she was not a vampire. Her pulse had dropped and she was falling into unconscious. Not thinking clearly, Althrus decided to give her more blood and the only blood that he had was his own, and with that he bit his wrist and let his blood flow into her mouth. Several seconds later her hands twitched and quickly grabbed onto Althrus's wrist and began to drain his blood as the beast took control of her. Before Althrus realized it, his beast forced him to act and using his blood driven strength he quickly threw her off and hold her down while she fought the beast for control.

Back in the present, the Sabbat and Catiff forces were slowly breaking down the doors to the fortress. Before they could get through the second set of doors, a siren sounded and all the forces withdrew. Althrus, still sitting in his control room, looked at the clock. "Well, well, well, it looks as if they forgot about the sun. Shows why the Sabbat and the Catiff have never won a great battle. They cannot even plan their attacks properly … and they are not nearly the monsters that they claim to be." With a grin Althrus pressed a button on his console, and with a sudden explosion on the main battlefield, several reinforced steel walls sprung up from the ground, trapping a small number of vampires that were to slow to retreat with the main force. Giggling, Althrus watched as they pounded against the walls but none of them were strong enough to break through. Slowly but surely the sun rose, and with it the Vampires that were trapped knew that they were doomed. With their beasts screaming in fear, they threw themselves against the walls and eventually they were burned to ash by the suns unforgiving rays. Using all of his will, Althrus made himself stay awake to watch the demise of these vampires. Again his thoughts drifted back to the past, and as he slept his dreams remembered clearly the first time he saw the sun as a vampire, and what that had done to him, what that had cost him.

After Althrus had Embraced Constance, he had learned that she was in fact only a ghoul, a mortal that had freely consumed kindred blood so that they were granted limited use of the gifts of Cain. He also found out that she was to be embraced by a Toreador Elder by the name of Cynthia. After hearing this, Althrus didn't know what to do, so he turned to the only Kindred that he though that might know, Geoffrey. Unfortunately, Geoffrey's response was defiantly not what Althrus had expected.

"Geoffrey, are you here?" Althrus called out into the underground Tavern they used for a temporary Haven. "Geoffrey?" Silence again. This bugged Althrus, it wasn't like Geoffrey not to answer him. Leading Constance, Althrus ventured further into the Haven. As they moved around a corner Constance noticed a set of gleaming eyes in the dark. Before she could warn Althrus, a voice shattered the silence, "You Fool!!" Althrus recognizing Geoffrey's voice was stunned, and before he could react, Geoffrey launched himself from his seat and struck Althrus fully in the face. Althrus flew back across the room and landed on a table that shattered into splinters; luckily for Althrus none of them pierced his skin. Stunned and now bleeding, Althrus lay on the broken table, with Geoffrey standing over him. Geoffrey's fist arched into the air and time seemed to slow down. The fist started falling, but it fell slowly, so slowly that it almost seemed to stop. Out of the corner of his eye, Althrus saw a figure standing at the door. Unsure of whom this person was, Althrus's attention turned back to immediate problem, the falling fist of Geoffrey. With speed that astounded even Althrus himself, Althrus grabbed his sire's fist and stopped it dead. Althrus's eyes flashed back towards the door but the figure was gone. The sound of people entering the room from another door brought Althrus's attention back to what was happening. The room was soon filled with men wearing sword and armor, with a symbol that Althrus had never seen before. One man, dressed in Royal Clothing with only two symbols on it (neither of which Althrus recognized), walked up to Geoffrey, who was still trying to push his fist though Althrus's hands. The man looked Geoffrey directly in the eyes and said, "Sleep." and amazingly, Geoffrey did. Althrus rolled Geoffrey onto the floor and slowly stood up, looking around the room he saw that all the men had the same symbol. There were 12 men, excluding the man in the Royal dress. As Althrus looked around, he noticed the hand of one of the men raised to strike Constance, who was cowering in the corner. Before Althrus could think straight, again his beast took control. With blood fueling his speed and strength, Althrus crossed the room in a heartbeat and ripped the man's arm from its socket. Blood spayed everywhere as the man fell to the ground screaming. Still in his frenzied state, Althrus reached down and smashed the man's head into the ground. Once the body of the man had stopped moving, his head now a liquid mess on the ground, Althrus turned his frenzied gaze at the rest of the men, only to notice that the Royal man had grabbed a chair leg. Just as Althrus had reached out to grab him, the chair leg penetrated Althrus's chest and plunged straight into his heart. The last thought Althrus had from that night were the screams of Constance and a voice saying, "Take them to the Prince, he shall decide their fate".


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Bloody Farewells 

Althrus could remember the chair leg being removed from his heart, and then his beast flooding him again, screaming for blood. But before Althrus could act to satiate his beast, a hand was laid on him and the words, "Calm yourself child." were spoken. Althrus's beast subsided and disappeared from feeling, leaving Althrus feeling drained and submissive. Once Althrus's eyes had focused he was lifted to his feet. Looking around Althrus could see that Geoffrey was kneeling before a man wearing golden plate armor, adorned with the same symbols as the man who had used the chair leg on Althrus. Althrus also saw Constance, struggling against the arms of who Althrus could only guess was Cynthia. His mouth dry, Althrus only just managed to push out the words, "Where am I?" A growling voice from behind him simply stated, "You are in the hall of Prince Julian Lancaster." Not knowing what the significance of this man being prince was, Althrus made a mistake, one that would actually improve his unlife for a time. Althrus pulled his arms from the man that was holding him and walked directly up to the Prince and looked directly into his eyes. "Why did your lackeys interrupt our fight?" Althrus demanded. The room went silent and a small gasp could be heard from Constance. Prince Lancaster just ignored Althrus as he looked at Geoffrey. "So yet again you bring another worthless whelp into Cain's fold, and yet again you show contempt for our laws and our ways, and this time you don't even educate this new..." Julian was interrupted as Althrus moved between Geoffrey and Julian again demanding Julian's attention. "I was talking to you, not that worthless piece of trash that I am ashamed to call my sire. Now answer my question, why did you interrupt our fight?" This time Julian looked at Althrus, "Tread carefully young one, you are only still here because of my good graces, do not push this or you will meet the same fate as your sire. As is you are set for punishment. Now Sit." The final word was not a suggestion but a command and Althrus's limbs obeyed even though he did not wish them to.

With that Julian stood and addressed all those gathered. "Kindred of the Court of Summerset, as your Prince I lay down the laws of this domain, and being that I am the eldest of the Clan of Kings, the Ventrue, it is my right to punish those who break these laws that I have set down. You see here that two crimes have been committed, two breaches of my laws, the first and most serious of these is that of Geoffrey, the Eldest of the Brujah. By my Law it is required that all kindred must ask permission to embrace a childe. Geoffrey has time and again broken this law, thrice have I looked over this and twice he was punished, but now in his sixth breach of this law he shall pay for his crimes. My sentence for this breach is that Geoffrey is to meet the morning sun and his ashes to be placed in an urn that will be placed in this hall." There was a unified gasp from the court and a few calls against the ruling as it was made. But as Julian's gaze swept over the gathered, they became silenced one by one.

"The second of my laws broken was that of the embracing of another ghoul, one marked by their clan. Constance, stand forward." Althrus looked around and saw that Constance had been pushed forward into the center of the hall. Julian stood and walked slowly to her, gently taking her hand, he led her back to his throne. Again addressing the assembled, Julian spoke, "Constance Penseance, marked of Clan Toreador, you have had a crime committed against you, and the judgment for the criminal is yours." Althrus tried to push himself from the floor but found that a man was standing behind him. A simple tap on the shoulder and all the strength in Althrus's body faded away. All Althrus could do was look at Constance.

Slowly and cautiously Constance spoke, her words unsure and her voice wavering, "I … I don't know … my lord." She stammered as Julian looked at her with sympathetic eyes. "Then the judgment will be decided in debate of the eldest of the court. I will ask for your opinions one at a time." Julian scanned those assembled and continued. "First we shall start with the offended clan, Cynthia of Clan Toreador stand forward and share your thoughts." A tall woman stood and strode into the center of the room. Her gaze drilled into Althrus, and anyone who could see her cold blue eyes, could see the contempt that filled them. "Clan Toreador's judgment is that this whelp deserves the same fate as its sire." With that she returned to her seat. Althrus returned his attention to Constance, only to see a small tear of blood fall down her cheek before she could brush it away. "Next," Julian proceeded without reaction, "Clan Brujah. Since your Eldest is now sentenced to death, my Seneschal, Prometheus, shall cast your vote".

The man that had placed his hand on Althrus's shoulder walked forward and Althrus instantly recognized him, it was the man that was standing at the door at the fight before the other men entered. Prometheus stood forward and in a clear voice stated, "I think that this childe should be saved, he is ignorant to what he did and the consequences of his actions, and therefore should be educated." Prometheus moved to Althrus's side and said no more.

After much debate it had been decided that Althrus would not be destroyed, but he would still be exposed to the sun for a brief time. After which he would be given to a member of the court to be educated. For his education Althrus would be given to Prometheus. As the sunrise neared Althrus's beast returned, although subdued, it still knew that the sun would rise and would soon be exposed to it. Prometheus looked down on Althrus with pity, but he could not save him from this punishment. "It is now 10 minuets to sun rise my Prince." Prometheus declared. A nod from the Prince and both Althrus and Geoffrey where lifted into the air and dropped into the middle of the hall. Althrus looked up and noticed that the ceiling had a hole in it.

As each minuet passed, the sky got lighter and soon the first rays of the sun could be seen.

The first ray struck Geoffrey and his flesh ignited and started to burn. Althrus's beast took over again, but this time it was out of fear that it acted. Althrus ran to the edge of the circle only to be thrown back in. As he flew thought the air a ray of sun hit him and pain exploded though his body. As his undying flesh ignited and his beast took full control, Althrus rushed to the edge of the circle and this time they let him through. Althrus fled into a corner of the hall, his beast cowered in fear, as Althrus huddled in the corner trying to push himself further into it.

Soon after, Prometheus and another walked over to Althrus and picked him up then carried him to another chamber where he slept until the next night. The night where he would learn the truth; the night where he would have to come to terms with a strict unlife or be destroyed.


End file.
